How cool is this?!

My friend Amy, of The Stamping Tree, has given me a blog award! I must say I am honored and excited! In order to accept this award, I need to follow some rules:

1. Thank and link the person who awarded you.
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pay forward to 8 bloggers you discovered
4. Contact the 8 bloggers to tell them about the award

So, 8 things about myself: (This is hard....)

1. I have been blogging for almost a year.

2. I have an interest in scrapbooking, but havn't dived in yet. The thought of filling a whole page and cutting pictures is pretty scary to me!

3. Some of you may know...that I love Changito the monkey! He always puts a smile on my face and I love to color him. This may be because I call my kids my monkeys.

4. I would really like to improve/expand my coloring skills; I am in awe of those who can color well.
5. I grew up on a farm and love animals. We have 2 sister kitties (Tavi and Caramel) and a cute Teddy Bear hamster (Puffy). (I really never thought I would call a hamster cute....)

6. I am a former cosmetologist, currently a nurse, and it's been my dream to go to law school.

7. I love to bake and in the winter I love to use the Crock Pot for cooking soups.

8. Other hobbies I enjoy, besides papercrafts, are reading, jewelry making, and sewing.

8 bloggers I nominate to get this award:

1. Chrissy: cmh designs
2. Donelda: Wiggy's World
3. Imke: Crafting Creations By Imke

4. Jackie: Paper Moments
5. Jessica: Jess' Obsession

6. Kathleen: Will Stamp For Wine

7. Larissa: Car-D-elicious
8. Melissa: Stamp It, Scrap It, Share It

Thank you to Amy, for nominating me; this was fun! I hope you will take some time to check out the above links and leave a little love.

Angela

TMS#70

Good morning! It's time for another sketch from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Pixie Petals, which is an Etsy shop. I had some fun ribbon and crochet flowers to work with, so "thank you" to Pixie Petals!

I actually have 2 cards for you today, because I messed up on the sketch.... Imagine my surprise when Melissa emailed me to tell me I used the wrong sketch! Oops!

The first card actually follows the sketch. Changito is colored with pencils and the card is embellished with a LOT of glitter. It really sparkles! For the ribbon, I adhered the white grosgrain first and then used a strip of the red line tape on top so I could add a bit more texture to the green ribbon. I just scrunched it up and pressed it down.

Image: Stampendous "Changito Snow Play" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and New Leaf, Fancy Pants Designs DP

Embellies: Green Ribbon from Pixie Petals, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities and Snowflakes Dies, QuicKutz "Frankie" Alphabet/Handtool, Red Line Tape, EK Success 3D Dots

For the second card, I used Fluffles, who is also colored with pencils and accented with glitter. The DP on this one is really pretty; the holly is flocked and the stripes are accented with glitter. I used the green ribbon and layered a button on top of the red flower. The ribbon has just a bit of silver glitter and I really like the way it crinkles

Image: Stampendous "Fluffles Stocking"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and New Leaf, Doodlebug DP

Embellies: Green Ribbon and Red Crochet Flower from Pixie Petals, PTI Button, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, EK Success 3D Dots

I can't wait to see what the rest of the DT has come up with using Melissa's sketch. I had a hard time with it because there were a lot of elements.... Anyway, check them out and leave them a little love and encouragement! I hope you can find the time to play along with us this week, too....

Thanks for stopping by today; have a good one!

Angela

CAS95: A Few of My Favorite Things

Good Monday morning! What a great start to the week it was to get to play the SCS CAS challenge. Today it was flowers (which I love!) and I decided to add a few more of my favorite things.... Basic Grey paper, felt, the new PTI die, and Swarovskis! Really, it doesn't get much better that this!

I am enamored of this new PTI die...I don't know why, but it speaks to me! Today I used black felt. In fact, I ran all of my dies through the Cuttlebug at once. This was a really quick card: I scored a few lines, diecut some pieces, stamped a sentment and glued it all together...voila'! I plan to make some more of these to add to my basket.

Sentiment: PTI "Scattered Showers"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: SU! River Rock, Basic Grey Stella Ruby
Embellies: Swarovski Flatback Crystal in "Black Diamond", Handmade Flower
Extras: Scor-Pal, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, PTI Dressform Die/True Black Felt, MFT Die-namics Rolled Flower Die/Felt, The Cat's Pajamas CutUp Flower Buttons Die (leaf)/MFT Felt

That's it for today; I'll be back tomorrow with another challenge from Tuesday Morning Sketches....

Have a great day!

Angela

Hope you're feeling better....

Hello! How was your turkey day? I hope you were able to spend it with family and/or friends. I unexpectedly got the day off; of course, I was on call so I just toted my work clothes with me in case I had to make a quick change. Luckily enough, I wasn't called in!

I took a tote bag of books/magazines with me to read. Most of the family likes to watch sports, but myself...not so much.... So I reread an old Paper Crafts publication. I came across this cute card, and thought it would be fun to CASE. I switched the cloud from paper to felt and put my sentiment across the bottom. I am loving the cheerful rainbow...especially after the cold weather we are having! I plan to make some more of these to fill my card basket for family and friends.

Sentiment: Papertrey Ink "Everyday Button Bits"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: SU! Cool Caribbean, Bazzill Bling
Embellie: Robin's Nest Dew Drops
Extras: MFT Die-namics Cloud Die, White Felt

I am wondering if any of you braved the crowds and shopped the Black Friday sales? DD talked me into it and I will say we had a good time. We got up at 3:45 and arrived at our first store just minutes after 5:00; we then found out they had opened at 3:00! I was amazed at the amount of people out and about! Wow! I had no idea! We spent the majority of our time in a department store, but we made quick stops at a lot of places. We were able to get gifts for DH, both kids (that was tricky, since DD was with me!), 2 Grandmas, 1 Grandpa, and 3 of DD's friends. All in all the day was a success and we finished it with lunch at our favorite deli before coming home to crash. DS couldn't believe we spent 8 hours shopping! The time went fast and we were lucky to have encountered nice shoppers/clerks along the way. I don't know about you, but I have heard the stories....

All right, that's it for me today! Thanks for stopping by; I hope you're having a super day!

Angela

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning and "Happy Thanksgiving"! It's hard to believe the holiday season is here...where did the year go? Today I have SCS sketch challenge #308 featuring a little elf, just in case you are going to brave "Black Friday" tomorrow and need a little shopping inspiration!

When I was looking through my stamps I came across this cute little elf and decided to run with it. The DP was already on my table, so that was an easy choice. I had completed the card and was disappointed because it was missing somthing.... That's when I had the idea to take off the lower right jingle bell and add a snowflake. I think it was just the right touch, as it had looked bare before. The snowflake is 3 different Spellbinder's dies, layered together. The middle layer has the same glitter on it that I applied to the elf's fur trim. I like the sparkle! I found the jingle bell brads at Hobby Lobby last summer; I thought they were kind of fun!

Image: Stampendous "Elf Wishes" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and Smokey Shadow, SU! Wild Wasabi, Fancy Pants Designs DP

Embellies: Spare Parts Jingle Bell Brads, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Snowflake Dies, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful, safe holiday, and that you are able to spend it with family or friends!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches #69

Happy Tuesday! It's time for another sketch from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Doodle Pantry and I had these adorable Christmas ants to work with...love them! There were actually 2 different images; in the other, the ants were eating Santas cookies. Can't wait to use that one too!

I did flip the sketch for this card. Isn't that one of the fun things about sketches? You flip them and it opens up a new perspective and possibilities! The image is colored with pencils and I paper pieced the bulb. I did a bit of sponging about the image panel and the DP, just to tie in the gray. The sentiment is also from Doodle Pantry; I attached it using a jump ring. I finished the card off with some sparkly Bella Dots.

Image/Sentiment: Doodle Pantry Digital

Ink: PTI Smokey Shadow

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Melon Mambo, PTI Smokey Shadow, Fancy Pants Designs DP

Embellies: Gray Grosgrain Ribbon, Bella Dots

Extras: Jump Ring, EK Success 3D Dots

I hope you will head on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to check out the DT's fun creations. Better yet...play along with us!

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope your day is a good one!

Angela

Mojo Monday #165

Hello! How is your weekend going? Mine seems to be going too fast. How about you?

I really wanted to make a card today, but found I had absolutely no mojo. I checked out the gallery at SCS and did a little blurfing; I finally found some inspiration when I saw the Mojo Monday sketch. I found even more inspiration when the postman came.... I had been waiting for a package from PTI and it arrived today! Yay! I was waiting for Dawn Mc Vey's dress form die especially; I loved it the minute I saw it....

The whole vintage, shabby-chic style has really been catching my eye lately. I received a package, from a stamping buddy, in the mail recently. It had some beautiful papers, gorgeous Tim Holtz buttons, crochet lace and a darling stamp. I was mesmerized. Then a couple of days ago I saw a sneak peek at the new SU! Occasions Mini; it's full of wonderful stuff. It seems this style is all around me and I'm trying to figure out how to make it work, because it's not really my style.... It's out of my comfort zone.... Today's card was a step in the right direction I think; I'm not there yet, but I'm getting closer.

The sketch was a fun one; I did make my interior panel a bit smaller just to show off the fun DP on the cardbase. The DP is all from an October Afternoon pad called "The Thrift Shop". All other supplies are PTI. The only thing stamped on this card is the sentiment. I had a lot of fun just playing around with the buttons and ribbons, trying to come up with just the right "look". I ended up leaving the ribbon off and opted for a rickrack border. I also cut 2 of the dress form die, just to make it a bit sturdier, since I wanted to pop it up.

Sentiment: PTI Signature Series: Dress Form
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: PTI Simply Chartreause and True Black, October Afternoon DP
Embellies: PTI Buttons
Extras: PTI Dress Form and Rickrack Dies, DMC Floss, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots, Glue Dots

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are enjoying your weekend and are taking some time to get crafty...whatever your style may be!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches #68: Cupcake Challenge

Mmmm! Did someone say cupcakes?! What a fun challenge Melissa has cooked up for us this week! You can make a cupcake shaped card, or decorated cupcakes or whatever funky and fun cupcake-related thing you can think of. Our sponsor this week is Sparkle Creations and the prize will be the stamp "Cupcake Ruby". This week is a judged challenge, so get busy and show us your best work!

I thought of making decorated cupcakes, but I already did that. Next I thought of making a cupcake box, but I realized that I would have to bake some cupcakes to fill it. That really isn't a problem aside from the fact that I have a hard time staying out of any goodies in the house! Am I alone here? Does anybody else have that problem? I decided to make cards using one of my favorite sets..."Crazy Cupcakes". It is like Mr. Potato Head! You stamp the cupcake and then add the "parts"...how fun is that?!

Once I finally decided to make a card, I thought it would be fun to use the same layout and stamps to create cards for both a girl and a boy. I used last week's sketch from the SCS sketch challenge. The cupcakes are colored with pencils and the girl's card is embellished with glitter, while both cards have their headgear popped up for some dimension. I have left the insides blank, so I can just add the appropriate greeting when I use the cards.

Stamps: Stampendous "Crazy Cupcakes" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, Kraft, and Ripe Avocado, SU! Pretty In Pink, My Mind's Eye DP

Embellie: Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Angel Dust"

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestablities, EK Success 3D Dots

I hope you will hop on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to see what the rest of the DT has created.... I am excited to check it out too! Don't forget to play along!

I also want to welcome Pam, who is a new follower! (My SCS friend and fellow blogger Imke does this and I think it's neat!)

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great day!

Angela

"I Even Love The Box"

Good morning! It's Bellarific Friday! The challenge this week was Christmas, and I paired this challenge with Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #99. I was lucky enough to receive this Mo Manning stamp from my Secret Sister...isn't he adorable?! I tell you, she spoils me!

The image is colored with pencils and I used a red marker on the tag. The green bow is covered with Crystal Effects and the hat is highlighted with glitter, but it's hard to see that in the picture. I like Mercy's simple layout to keep the focus on the image. For embellishment I used a button and some ribbon. The organdy ribbon is gathered with thread and adhered with glue dots, with the black ribbon adhered over the top. To gather the ribbon, I used a running stitch down the middle and just pulled the thread until it looked "right".

The DP is from Making Memories. I bought some last year and only had a tiny piece left. I was lucky enough to find more this year, so I replenished my stash. I really like the vivid colors, patterns and distressing.

Image: Mo Manning for Stamping Bella "I Even Love The Box"
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black, SU! Ruby Red Marker
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream and True Black, SU! Cherry Cobbler, Making Memories DP
Embellies: PTI Black Button, Cream Organza Ribbon, SU! Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear", SU! Crystal Effects
Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilites, DMC Floss

Check out the other entries for Bellarific Friday here on Blogabella...it just might get you in the Christmas spirit!

Thanks for stopping by; have a great day!

Angela

CAS Lucky Star

Hello! I'm back with a clean and simple card today. This is a variation of one I saw on SCS some time ago. I have made some with a different sentiment and a heart, but thought I would try something else just for fun.

The sentiment is stamped on vellum, the vellum is mounted on white CS and then the star is slipped between the layers and held in place with a touch of glue. If you cut the vellum just a bit wider on the sides, you can turn the ends under and hold the panel in place with a touch of glue on the back; this way the front is free of glue. I used 3 self-adhesive rhinestones for embellishing.

Sentiment: SU! Define Your Life

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and True Black, The Paper Studio Vellum

Embellie: Me And My Big Ideas Rhinestones

Extra: EK Success Star Punch

Tips and Tricks:

I you are impatient (like me!), use your heat gun to "set" the ink on the vellum. I stamped a bunch of sentiments and as I was putting the card together, realized I had smudged the ink (my messy fingers should have been my first clue!)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

SC306: Man Card

Hello and happy Wednesday! Yay, Wednesday means it's time for another sketch challenge over at SCS! I received an awesome card kit, from my Secret Sister, that was full of manly stuff. What a challenge for me...I decided I should dig right in!

The bear is colored with pencils and I used a black gel pen to accent his nose. The image is diecut with Nestabilities and layered. I used a single corduroy brad for embellishment.

Image: SU!

Ink: Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: SU! Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip, and Sage Shadow, SU! DP

Embellie: SU! Corduroy Brad

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

Now that I've got my feet wet, I can't wait to dig in and make some more man cards!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches #67

Good morning! Melissa has another sketch for us over at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Tiffany's Doodles; you can check out the online store here.

I thought the sketch this week was a fun one; I chose to flip it. I colored my image with pencils and paper pieced her dress. Since I had used a lot of scallops, I embellished the card simply with 2 buttons stacked upon each other and tied with twine. The crown is embellished with Distress Stickles for a subtle sparkle.

Image: MFT Pure Innocence "Something Special Just For You"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, Fine Linen and Dark Chocolate, K & Company DP
Embellies: PTI Buttons, PTI Button Twine, Ranger Distress Stickles in "Antique Linen"
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities

I hope you will check out the rest of the DT's creations and play along with us this week. I would love to see what YOU come up with!

Thanks for stopping by; have a good one!

Angela

CAS92: Grateful For You, Friend

Good morning! I always wonder how Monday gets here so fast?! I checked out the clean and simple challenge on SCS before I went to bed last night; I had to sleep on it, since it's not a combo I would have thought of. I think it's really pretty though!

I stamped my images on DP with Crumb Cake ink; I like how it's so soft and muted. I chose organdy ribbon and a muted white button for embellishing. It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but "grateful for you" is stamped over the friend. This card was quick and easy; good for large batches.

Images/Sentiments: PTI Friends 'Til The End
Ink: SU! Crumb Cake, Palette New Canvas
Paper: PTI Kraft, SU! DP
Embellies: SU! White Organdy Ribbon, PTI Button
Extras: Tim Holtz Piercing Ruler, Thread

I hope your week has gotten off to a good start! Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

MOJO163: Let's mix it up!

Hello! How has your weekend been? It seems they fly by way too fast.... I just finished the Mojo Monday sketch. It was a pretty simple one this week; I like that you can really showcase your DP.

I used one of the MFT a'la modes; I think she's really cute and the image went so well with the baking themed paper that I found on my last excursion into a scrapbooking store. The image is colored with pencils and cut with Spellbinder's dies. I used some grosgrain ribbon and a charm from my stash to finish the card.

Image/Sentiment: MFT "What's Cooking?"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, Fine Linen, and Pure Poppy, Little Yellow Bicycle DP

Embellies: PTI Fine Linen Grosgrain Ribbon, SU! Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Karen Foster Charm

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

I had a question regarding how I cut my 1/8" layers. I just use my Cutterpede cutter by EK Success; I have both the large and the small. I like them the best of the cutters I have tried. While on the topic of layers, I did notice that according to the angle in which you shoot your picture, the layers can look distorted. Has anyone else noticed this? If so, do you do anything to remedy it?

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of your evening....

Angela

SC305: Changito Baker

Good morning! I always look forward to the SCS Wednesday sketch challenge, so I was eager to play this morning. I decided to go with an old favorite...Changito! The little guy just makes me happy!

The image is colored with pencils. I usually use a different color of brown for Changito, but matched him up with the Soft Suede cardstock today. I embellished the card simply with a charm and a bit of ribbon. Usually the inside of my cards are left blank, but I finished it off with a sentiment and a strip of DP. This one will be perfect for the stash, since I have a tween girl. I think she will like it.

Image/Sentiment: Stampendous "Changito Baker" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Soft Suede and Pink Pirouette, Doodlebug DP

Embellies: SU! Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Sulyn Industries Charm

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope your day is a good one!

Angela

Good Tuesday morning! It's time for another sketch from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. Our sponsor this week is Tiddly Inks! Yay! I love Tiddly Inks images! Here is a link to their challenge blog, and here is a link to the online store. If you are unfamiliar with the images, check them out....

With the turn of the weather, I enjoy making cards with snowmen or snowflakes on them, so I chose this cute little guy. I think he's sipping a cup of hot cocoa (with marshmallows); that's just what I like to do to warm up on a cold day! The image is colored with pencils before lightly spraying it with some Iridescent Gold Glimmer Mist. The snowflakes were also sprayed, before embellishing them with gold brads.

Image: Tiddly Inks Digital Stamp

Paper: G.P. 110, PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Soft Suede, Carolee's Creations DP

Embellies: Glimmer Mist in Iridescent Gold, Spare Parts Brads,

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities and Snowflake Dies

I can't wait to see what the rest of the DT has made this week! I hope to see you play along too!

Have a great day!

Angela